


All We Gotta Do Is Be Brave and Be Kind

by niltia



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Gen, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 01:55:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17778395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niltia/pseuds/niltia
Summary: Tilly gets trapped into an uncomfortable conversation with her mom at a formal event, but she’s got people in her corner.





	All We Gotta Do Is Be Brave and Be Kind

**Author's Note:**

> I’m reading _Way to the Stars_ by Una McCormack and I want to fight Tilly’s mom IRL, so here’s that, I guess. Spoilers for that book if you haven’t read it. Title is from “Baby We’ll Be Fine” by The National.

“— but Michael told me that on Vulcan they have a different way of teaching mathematics when they start out as kids, where they introduce numbers as variables from the get-go and teach them to start thinking about them as vectors rather than constants —”

“Mm-hmm,” Tilly’s mom said, scanning the crowd at the event. Tilly knew Siobhan wasn’t really paying that much attention to her, but she continued anyway. She didn’t get to talk to her mom that often these days.

“— so anyway, I think that’s part of why Michael was able to pick up quantum mechanics so easily even though she’d already trained as a specialist in xenoanthropology. Of course, it’s also probably because she’s so smart, so —”

“Oh look,” Siobhan said, “It’s Ambassador Minkowski’s son. Ranil! Hello!” she called, waving at a young man who had been crossing the dance floor. 

The young man changed course and strode over to them confidently. He certainly looked like an ambassador’s son. Quietly, so that only Tilly could hear, her mom muttered, “Oh, I do wish you’d done something different with your hair for this event….” 

Tilly sighed. She was in uniform and her hair was in compliance with Starfleet uniform code. She tried not to let it get to her.

“Good evening, Councilwoman Tilly. It’s wonderful to see you here. And who is your lovely companion?” the young man, apparently Ranil Minkowski (not that Tilly knew who Ambassador Minkowski was), said smoothly.

Her mom looked at her expectantly. “Oh! Good evening, Mr. Minkowski. I’m Sylvia Tilly. Please call me Tilly.” Tilly could see her mom frowning in her peripheral vision, but she’d had years to get used to Tilly’s preferred name and Tilly wasn’t going to cave to her mom’s dislike of it now. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tilly. Please call me Ranil,” he said.

“Ranil here is a very bright young man,” Siobhan said. “He’s just finished a fellowship in anthropology at Cambridge. He’s going great places in the diplomatic corps. I’m sure he could give you some excellent pointers about your future career path. You’re on Earth for a few more days still, isn’t that correct, sweetheart? Perhaps you and Ranil should get dinner sometime this week!”

Ranil was still smiling very politely at her mother, his expression perfectly diplomatic, but when he met her eyes they shared a look and she could see a similar panic in him. _I’m trapped!_ she imagined him thinking.

“Uh, maybe some other time?” Tilly said. “I’ve got plans with Michael for most of my time here. She hasn’t spent much time on Earth and we’re going to tour London.”

“That sounds wonderful!” Ranil said. “I’m sure the two of you will have a fantastic trip, London is a very interesting city.”

“Oh, surely you’ll be able to fit in some time,” Siobhan said. “I could get you a reservation at that restaurant we went to for your birthday when we visited?”

Tilly wasn’t sure how to divert the conversation in the face of her mom’s determination, but it seemed like Ranil’s supposed diplomatic skills weren’t overstated. “So what do you do, Tilly? I’m sure any daughter of Siobhan Tilly must also be brilliant at whatever she puts her mind to.”

“Well, technically I’m an engineer in Starfleet, but right now I’ve been assigned to an astromycology project. It’s very interesting! Not that anyone wants to hear about mushrooms at a gala, aha,” Tilly corrected herself, catching her mom’s disapproving look. “But I’ve also been participating in Starfleet’s Command Training Program. I’m going to be a captain someday,” she said, more confidently. Surely her mom couldn’t disapprove of _that_ statement.

“Yes, yes, that’s her current occupation, which of course is a path many people take to the diplomatic services. Sylvia is focusing on becoming well-rounded so that she’ll be….” 

Tilly tuned her mom out a bit while she went on. Of course Siobhan saw this as just another stop on the path to the career _she_ envisioned for Tilly. Of course. Tilly saw Commander Stamets over her mom’s shoulder, hanging out by a food table some distance away, and made desperate eye contact with him. He looked at her, then very deliberately looked over to where Michael was making conversation with the Andorian ambassador. Stamets made an elaborate hand gesture which Tilly took to mean _You want me to get her for you?_

Tilly shook her head as discreetly as possible. Michael looked engrossed in her conversation. Tilly didn’t want to lean on her for help just because she still couldn’t handle her mom as an independent adult woman. Tilly already leaned on her so much and Michael deserved time to herself. 

Tilly refocused on the conversation, wherein Ranil was now trying to politely to respond to Siobhan’s not-very-well-veiled negative commentary about Tilly’s career. “Oh, I’m sure that Tilly’s research must be very valuable to Starfleet, if she’s been accepted to the Command Training Program,” he was saying. 

Siobhan made a little moue of distaste. “I suppose it will provide a good stepping stone….”

Now Tilly could see Commander Stamets approaching their little group, not visible to her mother, but clearly able to hear enough of the conversation if the thunderous look on his face in response to the words ‘stepping stone’ was any indication. Oh dear.

“Hey, so, you like anthropology?” Tilly said to Ranil, trying desperately to shift the subject of conversation away from herself. “My friend Michael does too! She studied xenoanthropology at the Vulcan Science Acadamy.”

“How fantastic! I would be very interested to meet her as well,” Ranil said, but his gaze said otherwise. He, too, had spotted Stamets’ aggressive approach, and he looked like he could see the writing on the wall, if that writing was _Someone is about to get way more combative with your mom than I am willing to risk and I’d better clear out if I don’t want to get caught in the crossfire._ “Pardon me, I think I see an old classmate by the punch table and it’s been just ages since we’ve seen each other. Tilly, Councilwoman Tilly, it’s been a pleasure,” Ranil said, nodding to each of them, and his excuse made, he very sedately fled. 

Siobhan turned on her, looking about as livid as she ever allowed herself to be in public. “You always did this, Sylvia, you would get obsessed with other girls from your classes and you wouldn’t stop talking about them long enough to realize when a nice young man was interested in you —” 

And that, of course, was the moment when Commander Stamets got close enough to cut into the conversation. “Ambassador Tilly, I presume?” he said. Tilly wasn’t sure if he got her mom’s title wrong on purpose or just because he didn’t know anything about the diplomatic services, but either way it served to immediately irritate Siobhan. Stamets didn’t even pause long enough for her to correct him, though.

“So what if your daughter is so interested in other women? Also, first of all, I’ll have you know that the research we’re doing is _groundbreaking_ and you should be proud of her for her involvement in it on its own merit rather than as a ‘stepping stone’ to some other career. Furthermore, it seems to me like you don’t understand how amazing your daughter is. I’m no Starfleet sycophant,” he said, at which Siobhan glanced down in confusion at his Starfleet uniform, “but for Tilly to be accepted to the Command Training Program so young and for them to make an exception to the usual rules for time-in-grade to promote her to ensign already, it’s clear that they at least understand her talent and potential in a way you don’t appear capable of. And another thing —”

“Excuse me, _Lieutenant Commander_ ,” Siobhan interrupted, clearly having read Stamets’ rank off his uniform insignia, “do you have any idea to whom you are speaking this way?” Oh no, Siobhan wasn’t even using split infinitives now. Her mom must really be getting worked up.

“Honestly? No. But I’m sure that in a hundred years people will still be aware of who your daughter is while _your_ name will have faded into obscurity.”

Tilly let out a bark of uncontrollable laughter, and then covered her mouth in embarrassment. _Sorry, Mom_ , she thought. 

“ _Excuse you—_ ”

“Good evening, Councilwoman Tilly,” Michael said from just behind Tilly. She neatly inserted herself into the little group, which Tilly could see was now starting to draw some attention. Tilly hadn’t even noticed her coming over here. It was though she had appeared out of nowhere at Tilly’s elbow. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’ve heard so many great things about you,” Michael said, the picture of sincerity. 

“Well I—”

“I’m just going to borrow your daughter now, please pardon me, important Starfleet business,” Michael said, and before Tilly could process what was happening, Michael had taken her hand and was leading her away. Over her shoulder, to Stamets, Michael said, “We would do well to consider allowing our allies to fight their own battles unless they request assistance.”

Stamets looked chagrined, but he heeded Michael’s warning and walked away from Siobhan without so much as a goodbye, leaving her standing affronted in the middle of the ballroom but with no one to be affronted _at_. 

“Fine, but this lady is a shit parent, so somebody ought to try to be a good one,” he said, catching up to them. Tilly could tell from the look on her mother’s face that she’d heard. 

Tilly had never in her life seen her mom look so shocked, not even when her grandmother had given her a dressing down after Tilly ran away as a teenager, unable to take her mom’s inability to accept her as she was. Tilly would feel bad about it, she felt like she _should_ feel bad about it, but….

Tilly was here on Earth with Michael and they were going to go off to London tomorrow and see all the things they’d both always wanted to see and wait a second, what did Stamets mean about her being so interested in women?

But then Michael smiled at her and she thought, _Whatever, I’ll think about it later. Right now I’m just going to be happy._


End file.
